In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century — most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719 — but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy(识字)rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like "By a lady." Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral or just plain bad.In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim — were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon (名人堂) of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to 1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture — to understand how he made himself a lasting one.
1.Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?
A. They were difficult to understand.
-学元心点途公西4886升73559d51法慧bf72优有西限技秀b667广6dae77e6量件心科61231a05东7693dd50c1b061c5网司软 B. They were popular among the rich.
C. They were seen as nearly worthless.
D. They were written mostly by women.
2.Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress.
A. his reputation in France
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B. his interest in modern art
C. his success in publication
D. his importance in literature
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
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A. To remember a great writer.B. To introduce an English novel.
C. To encourage studies on culture.
D. To promote values of the Victorian age.
【答案】
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本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了英国伟大的作家狄更斯的创作历程和他伟大的原因。1.C细节理解题。根据第一段中的"Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral or just plain bad"可知，在18世纪的时候，小说被人们看作是愚蠢的，不道德的和非常糟糕的，所以选C项。
2.D推理判断题。根据第二段，尤其是 "Today Dickens greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from...the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa"可推知，狄更斯的伟大是不容置疑和无可辩驳的，如果说要把他从英国文学史上拿掉的话，就犹如卢浮宫把蒙娜丽莎卖掉一样。由此我们推断出此处是在强调狄更斯在英国文学史上的重要性。
【干扰项分析】根据常识可知，狄更斯不是法国人，文中也未提到他在法国的名声，故排除A项;B项在文中无细节信息支撑，故排除B项;根据第二段可知，狄更斯虽然同时也是个出版商，但这并不是他的成就所在，故排除C项。
3.A写作意图题。根据文章最后一段中的"No one will ever know…such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches…lasting one"可推知，作者写作本文主要是为了纪念狄更斯200周年诞辰。